An urgent need exists for lightweight durable buoys which are much more economical to manufacture than existing available types. Ideally, the buoy should be virtually maintenance-free, unsinkable and highly resistant to damage caused by floating debris and water traffic. Most importantly, the buoy should be capable of being launched and retrieved by one man instead of the customary crew of three or more required to handle existing types of buoys. The plastic buoy must be capable of the same service, or better service, than conventional types and at lower cost.
By way of comparison with a well-known type of buoy widely in use, namely, the aluminum fiberglass Alerp buoy, the following statistics may be noted.
In an equivalent size for the same purpose, the aluminum fiberglass buoy costs an average of $550, compared to $350 for a plastic buoy constructed according to the invention.
The cost of maintenance of the buoy embodying the invention is reduced approximately 95 per cent compared to the maintenance cost for the aluminum fiberglass type. This conventional type of buoy requires almost constant maintenance and repair, as a result of damage caused by collision with floating objects.
Based on actual durability testing of buoy types involving dropping the structures four feet onto solid concrete, the product of the invention sustained no noticeable damage while other types were seriously damaged. The average life of the invention buoy should be five years or longer, compared to one-half or less of this useful lifetime per other known types.
Flotation tests of the invention proved equally rewarding as the buoy remained upright and high-floating at all times, whereas the aluminum fiberglass buoy was submerged in a five knot current in a debris-filled Mississippi River test.
Other detailed features and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.